SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, soa Teac. A and M Track we Kk xk *k * Sooners Are At It By CHUCK ELLIOTT Kansan Sports Editor *probably the ee track prospect of last year’s high school crop. The star in question is Burton Cossey, a freshman in the School of Engineering at Oklahoma A. and M., Stillwater, during the*past semester. Last year he attended high school at Centerview, Okla., and gained All- American rating as a result of his QO. U. Being Unfair (The following article appeared in the Wednesday edition of The Daily O’Collegian, official student paper of Oklahoma A. and M. Col- lege, as an open editorial on the front page. It was written by Don : Boydston, editer of the O’Collegian and a famous track star in his own right. Two years ago in an indoor meet he high jumped 6 feet 8 7-8 in- ches.—Sports Editor’s Note). Oklahoma has done it again! Seemingly not content with the Sooners supply of athletic tal- ent on the Norman campus the Oklahoma athletic officials have _ gone recruiting again and this time they have come up with Oklahoma University is going too far in open subsidization of athletes. We aren’t calling anyone names, we are not stating the opinion of anyone but this writer’s, and we aren’t whining, but from alli indications the policy of the University of Oklahoma in obtaining their athletes is unfair and dis- honest. Perhaps the best way to lef you know abcut this little debacle is to give you the facts and let you decide fer yourself-to see if it was A. and M. that was Tuckered out this time. Last year Burton Cossey, a limber-limbed-lad hailing from Center View, Oklahoma, a whistle-stop near Prague, leaped six foot four and one-half inches in the state interschclastic meet, setting a new state high school rec- ord and also earning an All American rating as one cf the best high school jumpers in the nation. He also excelled in the broad jump and the hop-step and jump. -He was a fine student, valedictorian of his class and wanted to come to Oklahoma A. and M. and study engineering. He enrolled here last fall and made high enough grades this last se- mester to make the dean’s honor roll. In the early season practice session he jumped far enough in the hop-step- and-jump to give Coach Ralph Higgins the vision of a national A.A.U. championship in the event. Then the O.U. athletic department evidently decided that he was a vis too accomplished and started a subtle campaign. They wrote him letters, called him long oS came to see hint ane on generally made life miserable. A week ago Burton told some of his team-mates that he wished the OU. bunch would leave him alone and that Jap Haskell, athletic director at Ok- lahoma university, had called him the night before. Then last Saturday night Dick Smethers, distance man at the ivory and Bob Seymour, former football player for the Sooners, came to Still- water to’ see Cossey. Evidently they put the pressure on the lad because three hours after they blew in, they had Burton in his room helping him to pack his bags for the trip to Norman. A friend of Burton’s, Wendell Wilson, tried to walk into the victim’s room for a visit but the door was abruptly slammed in his face and the Norman visitors went on with their preparation. If what Cossey has said is true, and if the University of Oklahoma had the gall to come en the A. and M. campus and pack a boy’s clothes and transport him to Norman after he had already enrolled and attended classes here this semester then, its a pretty lousy deal.. Of course the kid is somewhat to blame. He shouldn’t allow stories of sugar plums and a clock-winding job to turn his head, but then too, high- pressuring a kid is sometimes pretty easy. From personal experience we remember how O.U. weotiioed everything within reason and more too, but on our arrival there it was found that we didn’t even have a place to sleep. That’s about all we have to say. You can draw your own conclusions from the above statement of facts. As we said before, we think their actions unfair and dishonest. UNIVERSITY DAILY RADON LAWRENC Star ‘Swiped’ K eS Again ytrack efforts. He high jumped six feet four and one-half inches and this leap was the best in the nation. The jump also set a new Oklahoma rec- ord and was recorded during the state interscholastic meet. Besides being a high jumping expert, Cos- sey starred in the broadjump and the | hop-step and jump events. Sooner Athletes Persuaded Cossey The Centerview star enrolled at} Stillwater this fall and impressed the officials there very favorably. Not only was he in the upper third of his | class in engineering and on the dean’s | honor roll but he was popular with | schoolmates in A. and M.’s big Cor-| dell hall and performed well his | campus job which provided him with | room and board. | Everything was_ going along | smoothly for Cossey and for the Ag- | gie authorities until last Saturday. | The track star was already ta | rolled in school and seemed set for | this semester until Dick Smethers, Sooner track star, and Bob. Sey-| mour, former Sooner football ace;) dropped in at Stillwater to see Cos- | sey. Within a few hours the three of them were on their way to Norman: where Cossey enrolled in the School of Aeronautical Engineering. No Official Action Yet Feeling on the Aggie campus at | Stillwater was running quite high this week although no official action had been taken as yet by Henry Iba, director of athletics at the Aggie schocl. Reason for no action as yet is that Iba left Stillwater late Tues- | day with his basketball squad on a| swing to the North where they faced Drake University at Des Moines| Wednesday night and Creighton Uni- | versity at Omaha last night. Before leaving on the trip Iba} stated “I believe this will be worked | out without trouble for the boy. I| will have a conference with Jap| Haskell (Oklahoma’s athletic di-| rector) early next week when we are to meet in Oklahoma City about | some other matters. I am sure that | when we have all the information be- | fore us, this can be settled.” Only Cossey Was Talkative | On the Norman campus athletic of- | ficials refused to become excited | about the affair. Haskell was not too| talkative but did remark that the | transfer of the athlete was regular. John Jacobs, Sooner track coach, was another who offered no comment. Cossey however was entirely dif- ferent. He seemed willing to talk on both campuses but with conflicting statements. While at Stillwater he objected to the many letters, phone calls, and visitors whom he was re- (continued to page seven)